Represents Switzerland’s interests in the United States of America and provides services to Swiss nationals in the District of Columbia (DC), the States of Delaware (DE), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Maryland (MD), Missouri (MO), Nebraska (NE), Virginia (VA), West Virginia (WV), as well as in the Insular Areas of the United States of Northern Mariana Islands (MP), Guam (GU).

support Swiss representations in safeguarding Switzerland’s interests and in emergencies involving Swiss citizens abroad. In an emergency the representation responsible (embassy or consulate-general) must be contacted immediately.

Please contact the Embassy of Switzerland or the Consulate General of Switzerland which is in charge for your place of residence *) when you want to register or unregister as a resident, when you need a new Swiss passport or Swiss identity card, have moved or wish to apply for Swiss citizenship. The entire selection of services offered can be found in the dropdown list to the right.

Swiss citizens who get into difficulties abroad, also can ask for advice and help from their Swiss representation.

*) You can find out which Swiss representation is in charge for your place of residence by clicking on the tab "Representations" in the grey ribbon above.

FDFA services abroad

Choose your service!

The magazine for the Swiss Abroad appears six times a year and provides information about what is happening at home and the activities of Swiss associations abroad. It also answers administrative questions.

Switzerland and the United States are also tightly connected through intensive cross-border investments. The U.S. is Switzerland's most important destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) and Switzerland ranks as the sixth largest foreign investor in America.

According to the Federal Constitution, the goal of Swiss foreign policy is ensuring Switzerland’s independence and security and promoting the nation’s welfare. Through its foreign policy, Switzerland also makes a contribution to the alleviation of need and poverty in the world, the respect for human rights and the promotion of democracy as well as to the peaceful coexistence of peoples and the conservation of natural resources.

Swiss visa desk in Atlanta

Appointments and Inquiries

Effective immediately, all appointments for visa type C (Schengen) must be scheduled in advance by telephone. The visa desk cannot accept walk-ins anymore. Each individual applicant needs to schedule an appointment. This also applies to general inquiries and pre-authorized visas. No visa can be issued on the same day. Appointments are available Monday through Thursday between 8:30a.m. - 11:30a.m. No appointments are available on Fridays.

Prior to making your appointment, you are strongly advised to read the requirements relating to the visa type you wish to apply for. Please refer to the general visa information.

For visa inquiries please email us at visaatlanta@eda.admin.ch or call us Monday through Thursday between 3:00p.m. - 4:00p.m at 404-870-2008.

For visa appointments only, please call us Monday through Thursday between 3:00p.m. - 4:00p.m. at 404-870-2002

Effective May 15, 2014, all diplomatic and consular representations of the Schengen member states in the US will issue Schengen visas with biometric data (fingerprinting and facial image).

Schengen visa applicants within our jurisdiction (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Cayman Islands) will have to appear in person in Atlanta.

Frequent travelers to the Schengen Area do not have to be fingerprinted every time they apply for a new visa. Once fingerprints are collected, they will be saved and stored for up to 59 months.

In general, the processing takes about 2 weeks once the application is complete. This does not include the time for mailing. However, in some particular cases, the processing time might be longer, especially if the central authorities have to be consulted.

Visa applications for stays longer than 90 days (family reunion, student, work, residence permit) do not require fingerprinting and therefore may be submitted by mail. The visa requirements can be found on the following link: Visa Application, National Visa Type D

General Information:

Issued visa can be picked up in person or will be mailed back with a prepaid, self-addressed, envelope with tracking number which has to be provided by the applicant at the time the application is submitted. Applicants must indicate their name and address both as sender and recipient. It is recommended that applications are mailed with private delivery services such as FedEx or UPS as there were some issues with other carriers.

Important: The Swiss representation does not assume any liability for the loss of mailed documents.

There is no need for you to contact the Consulate General about the status of your application. This office will contact you if further action on your part is required or your application is processed. Please also do not inquire about the arrival of documents you might have sent - if you do send an email, you will receive an automatic reply confirming the receipt; if you have sent a letter, please track it with your tracking number.